Ballet Pixelle will be performing our holiday tradition "The Nut" in our theater hosted on the IBM Sim (IBM 10 (12,191,21). Sundays at 5 PM (SL time).
Behind the Scenes at Ballet Pixelle
Notes from the artistic and digital interface - bringing Ballet Pixelle to television in Second Life, and on the Web
Ballet Pixelle MC Gershom Wycliffe comments on her role for the ballet and the role of ballet in her life
You can find commentary, news, and interaction with Ballet Pixelle on the Web. Our Web site - balletpixelle.org, our blog - Balletpixelle.blogspot.com, and our MySpace page - myspace.com/balletpixelle
YouTube has several videos of our performances. Search for "Second Life Ballet" or "Ballet Pixelle" and you will be able to share a small sense of these performances with your RL friends.
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Audiences were charmed last winter with "The Nut" the Company's interpretation of the holiday classic "Nutcracker." In Ballet Pixelle's version, the unique capabilities of movement in Second Life brought Clara's Nutcracker magically to life before their eyes. Arabian dancers, perched perilously on carpets, descended from the sky and danced in mid-air. Snowflakes swirled with evocative movements not possible in real life. The Russian dancer effortlessly turned a la seconde more times than even Baryshnikov could imagine.
This season Ballet Pixelle founder and artistic director Inarra Saarinen has envisioned even more scenes from Tchaikovsky's classic work. The Chinese Dancer comes into Clara's dream and, in an audience-stunning "coda," the entire ensemble gathers on stage. Saarinen said, "In cities and towns around the world The Nutcracker is danced and enjoyed. Many say their holiday isn't complete without attending a performance. By bringing this classic into the virtual world we are sharing this evocation of the magic of dreams and the majesty of Tchaikovsky's music beyond the walls of traditional theaters. We hope members of the Second Life community will make 'The Nut' a part of their holiday season traditions."
October and November have been busy months. We closed "Shuzenji" October 12, 2008 after a highly successful and critically acclaimed run. Among the highlights were filled houses, comments from audience members telling how moved they were by the emotional power of the story of love, loss and triumph and the special performances where "Shuzenji" score composer Solary Clary sang her haunting lyrics live. This artistry brought the audience to a virtual standing ovation.
"The Nut", our version of the holiday classic "Nutcracker", will run though the season. We are also in closed rehearsals for our new, original, three-act ballet opening in 2009. Our dancers, set and costume designers and composer are working very hard to bring this new work to life. There will be a lot of surprises. Watch for more news! We'll post news onto the website and to our group members in Second Life.
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Avatars customize their view of performances in Second Life. For attendees at Ballet Pixelle this means every seat in the theatre a great one, and an avatar can focus in on a favorite dancer or see the performance from a unique viewpoint. When audience members sit in chairs at the Ballet Pixelle theatre in the IBM sim, they receive a notecard with camera movement tips for the pre-set options, or avatars can move their camera views individually.
There are two kinds of action and view controls in Second Life. Motion controls manipulate the way avatars move through the three-dimensional space. Camera controls adjust the view the person behind the avatar sees on his or her computer screen. A tap on the option key materializes the magnifying glass. Park it with the mouse over what you want to view more closely, click and then use the central slider to zoom in. On either side of the zoom slider are circles with arrows, rather like a compass. One of these controls panning left, right, up and down. The second compass cants the view above, below, around to the left or right. With a bit of practice avatars can view throughout the theatre and even across the sim without leaving their seats.
So at the next performance, zoom in and watch the precision of the dancer's steps. Take a close-up view of the finely-detailed costumes. Watch the intricate choreography from above. Even take a peek backstage or in the wings. This is a view of the ballet impossible in the real world.
Typed texts of joy ascended up the screens when Inarra Saarinen announced at a Ballet Pixelle company meeting in September that "The Nut" would reappear on the performance calendar.
Pyper Dollinger: yaaaaay yay \o/
Dyena Broek: It's one of my favorites
SavannahAnn MaMillan: woooot!
In a follow-up interview dancer Misty Gentil explained more. "This is my second year dancing 'The Nut' : ) I think of all the ballets that Ballet Pixelle has done are amazing, but 'The Nut' has my heart!
"Last year it just kicked the season off for me in such an uplifting way. I'm sure many are like me. LOL [ she Laughed Out Loud in the texting shortcut of SL] I dread the holidays and with all the commercial stuff behind it you lose sight of the true meaning. This year, the first time I loaded 'The Nut' music into the broadcaster it just all came rushing back -- the fun of sharing the holidays with the company and so many loyal folks that come out to support the virtual art of dance. This special ballet brings out the holiday spirit and is a way of sharing that holiday spirit with so many people from so many walks of the earth."
Gersholm Wycliffe kindly shared her stories of a long and moving relationship with this ballet and the importance of ballet and art in the world:
"The Nutcracker was the first ballet I ever saw, and that was at age ten, with a televised performance. I loved every moment.
My first live performance was when I was in my early twenties... a ballet company from Montreal. It was haunting, and I still recall that 'Claire' as they call the young girl was danced by a woman named Mireille. I've tried to see as many as I can every year. I usually see eight or ten performances each holiday season, ranging from tiny little companies which draw upon small children and elderly men and women (such as a man seemingly about seventy portraying Herr Drosselmeyer) to professional companies, including the Moscow Ballet.
"Some years ago, when the Chechen rebels seized that theater in Moscow, the Moscow Ballet played on the campus where I work in the United States.
They were there for three evenings. I happened on the first night's performance and I went back for the second one... The mother of a local girl who was dancing with the company told me a very sad story. Several of the dancers had friends who were among the performers in the Moscow Theater, and did not even know if their friends were dead or alive after Russian troops stormed the building. What could be more heartbreaking? Moreover, they were genuinely afraid. This lady found out that I teach writing, and asked if I'd write a speech for the translator to give on our behalf.
I stayed up all night writing what came down to about three minutes' worth of speech. I expressed the wish that someday all the world could understand the kindly spirit Tchaikovsky shows us. That night, after the performance, my acquaintance's efforts bore fruit. At the end, my little speech was read in Russian to the dancers on stage. I sat in the front row, and saw that several of the dancers actually had tears in their eyes. All these beautiful, elegant, disciplined people who had given me so much joy were taking happiness from what I, an anonymous foreigner, had written!
"I simply love ballet, love Russian Romanticism, love the Nutcracker, and love ... well all of it. I've read and heard that it was Tchaikovsky's personal farewell to youth and even life, for he was losing his health at the time he wrote it. I think that's why it's so sweet. It's childhood, Christmas, magic, wonder, love--all seen through the lens of old age, loss, and sadness. How brightly burns the beacon in the darkest of nights!"
Now that "The Nut" is in performance our audiences are joining with words of appreciation for this most special holiday tradition. "Applause" and more scrolled up the screens:
"Spellbound"
"Marvleous !!!!"
"Astounding"
And this longer note dropped into the comment box at the theater:
"I came to the ballet last night and thought it was just magical. . . it was approaching 2 am here, which is late for me.. The Nutcracker has such beautiful moving music that I wanted to share it with someone..
I am awed by how much work you have all put into the production and it went just flawlessly from my perspective. The details of the organization were brilliant and worked well. I could see and hear everything.
Please pass on my very sincere thanks to all the dancers and the crew.....brilliant job and worth all those tough rehearsals. The next time I will plan the next working day very carefully so that if I'm sleepy...they can carry on without me!"
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Ballet Pixelle was delighted to be invited to appear on "Tonight Live with Paisely Beebe" (SLCN.TV), a long-running news and entertainment interview program in Second Life. The program is recorded before a live studio audience, broadcast live and rerun onto television screens in Second Life and is posted to the Web and downloadable an an iPod Podcast. Thousands of people around the world watch segments each week. This was a wonderful opportunity to share the Company's vision and expertise to a wider audience outside of Second Life.
One lesson I've learned observing and working with Ballet Pixelle, the Company dancers are dedicated. I saw this is action again as they prepared for the two and a half minute mini-ballet they would perform on the "Tonight Live" stage. Inarra Saarinen choreographed a special "sneak peek" selection from "The Nut."
I met the dancers at the theater four days before show time. Inarra was perched atop the camera - a position that would be highly frowned upon in real life, if not impossible.
Working out the stage positions and blocking took imagination and flexibility. The dancers are used to moving across the entire stage at the Ballet Pixelle theater, here the demands of a central interview sofa and chair set and a second musical stage with a piano for another the program's second guest, limited dance space to a third of the stage. But the troop pitched right in to make it work beautifully.
Ballet Pixelle dancers do far more than rehearse and dance. Vivianne Darcy adapted "The Nut's" theatrical backdrop to mask backstage elements and set the scene. Amelie Dibou and Misty Gentil arranged for the music selection to get to the program's producers, a tricky bit of editing and transference. Showtime, the performance went off flawlessly. You can see Ms. Beebe's interview with Inarra Saarinen and enjoy the dancing segment at the "Tonight Live" website www.slcn.tv/tonight-live-paisley-beebe.
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Ms. Wycliffe served as Mistress of Ceremonies (MC) during Ballet Pixelle's "Shuzenji." She talks about interactions with the audience and the role of MC for the Company.
Q. As MC at Ballet Pixelle performances you stand at the side of the stage, what do you see when you look out at the audience?
A. "Literally, of course, I see somewhere between fifteen and forty-five or so avatars seated in IBM 10. Usually with their tags, since it is useful for me to know who people are.) Figuratively, I see a lot of people who share one trait with me, at least--a love of the ballet."
Q. How do you view your role as MC?
A. "The part I actually enjoy is when people who are shy, or in some cases who speak French or Spanish, approach me and want me to explain things they hesitated to ask someone else. At first I was pretty surprised by the thought of an MC at a ballet, even a virtual one. But then I started thinking of the 'dance talks' that the local opera house provides--a chance to meet and ask questions of some dancer, instructor, choreographer, or sometimes another person associated with a touring ballet company. I always try to come early enough to attend them. So I try to put the MC role in that light."
Q. What are the particular challenges of being the Ballet Pixelle MC?
A. "Actually, most of the time I'm at the side of the stage, I don't spend much time looking at the audience. I've got to click my HUD buttons, which I time with the music, to be sure I don't rush the curtain, or I've got to type something in chat or IM.
Not sending the curtain up or down too early because I'm shaking so badly is part of it! Beyond that, coping with lag is usually the big issue."
Q. The MC seems to fulfill a complex role at Ballet Pixelle, one part welcoming the audience, one part telling a synopsis of the story and one part helping the audience modify so as to enjoy the ballet performance. What part do you think either the digital Second Life platform and/or the international diversity of the Second Life community has in defining this role?
A. "Wow... well, the story part seems the least important of the MC role, to me. I don't mind--it's simple as all get out, just clicking the little button. But it's the most different part of SL ballet versus real life ballet, in my experience. That may very well be the SL platform. In a real life ballet performance, the audience arrives and looks at the program or playbill out of boredom, if nothing else. I think SL audiences are just less willing to read. Attending my first performance of Ballet Pixelle, I looked the playbill over, then closed it and played around with my camera controls to get the best view I could. I'd never put the real program away so soon. Of course, the advice I give as MC about how to take pictures silently, and so forth, is purely SL. No one would take a photo during most real life performances--the dance companies often refuse due to concern that others might steal their choreography or designs (even if the photographers were considerate enough not to use flashes that blind the dancers and bring on injury). The instructions to 'turn off face-lights' and 'set world to midnight' certainly fit into that real life parallel as those avatar effects can make seeing difficult for dancers and interfere with neighboring audience member's view."
Q. Any final thoughts?
A. "I like to think there's a person on the other end of even the strangest avatar and I do the best I can to try to make the person feel welcome."
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